Gun Control in Colorado

With the dust from the election finally settling, all eyes are on the next legislative session. To figure out what exactly is on the horizon, KVNF's Jake Ryan talked with statehouse reporter Bente Birkeland.

Bente believes the biggest issue facing the legislature will be the topic of oil and gas. The Governor's task force will be giving suggestions, but the impact they will have is unknown. With a divided legislature, gun control will come up but she doubts any changes to the existing laws will happen.

Democratic state lawmakers say a new law requiring universal background checks for gun purchases is working well. Data from the Department of Public Safety shows 2 percent of private gun sales were blocked because of the law.

Colorado’s gun control debate is making national news because of remarks from one Democratic lawmaker about rape. The comments came during a debate on banning concealed carry weapons on college campuses. As part of our capitol conversation series Bente Birkeland takes a look at the political ramifications and what's driving the story.

A controversial package of Democratic gun control bills cleared the house yesterday. The measures now head to the state senate. And as Bente Birkeland reports the bills still face strong opposition from Republicans and some Democrats.

Guns were once again the focus at the Colorado Statehouse on Wednesday. A Democratic proposal to ban concealed carry weapons on college campuses got its first hearing in the house education committee. It highlights the longer battle that will take place this session on gun laws. Bente Birkeland has more.

A huge crowd turned out at the state capitol on Tuesday for a hearing on two key Democratic gun proposals. One measure would require universal background checks for gun purchases; the other would ban high capacity magazines. Both bills passed their first test, the house judiciary committee. Bente Birkeland has more from the state capitol.

State Democrats recently unveiled their much-anticipated package of bills aimed at curbing gun violence. As part of our capitol conversation series, Bente Birkeland takes a look at the chances of the bills passing, and the internal debate among state Democrats.

The debate over gun violence and gun control is everywhere today. Here's a different way to look at it, something called Sounds of the High County, a collaboration between Paonia-based High Country News and Rocky Mountain Community Radio affiliate KDNK. KDNK’s Nelson Harvey talks with High Country News Senior Editor Jonathan Thompson about his story on how westerners feel about gun control.

The gun debate will be one of the central issues during the state’s legislative session, and lawmakers have already heard the first Republican proposals. They both failed along party lines and highlight the wide difference between Democrats and the GOP when it comes to tackling gun violence. Bente Birkeland discusses the dynamic as part of our capitol conversation series.

The gun control debate sounded off both inside and outside the state capitol yesterday. Gun control advocates rallied at the capitol, and Democratic state senators struck down the first gun bill of the legislative session. The measure would’ve allowed school employees to carry concealed handguns. Bente Birkeland has more from the state capitol.

Colorado’s Speaker of the House says he expects lawmakers to act on several of President Barack Obama’s recommendations to curb gun violence. Bente Birkeland reports that Governor John Hickenlooper has also called for a broad discussion on guns during the legislative session.

State lawmakers have already introduced more than 100 bills on a wide variety of topics since the legislature began last Wednesday. From the state capitol, Bente Birkeland has more on the first of many gun measures.

Curbing gun violence will be one of the hotly debated issues at the state capitol when lawmakers return on January 9th. As part of our capitol conversation series statehouse reporter Bente Birkeland takes a closer look at some of the ideas being circulated.